This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-194840, filed Jun. 28, 2000, which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a process method and system of data management for integrated circuit (IC) card, and more particularly to a method of changing information stored in IC card and information maintained in a center facility, and to an IC card system.
IC cards are widely used as financial card, credit card, debit card and so on. These cards are configured to store various information such as card-holder""s information (e.g., name, address, postal code, phone number, birth date, password), financial institution name, branch name, type of account, account number, and mode of payment, and data and program necessary for application process according to the intended use of the IC card. These information items are usually stored in the IC card at the time of issuing the IC card. Therefore, when the card-holder decides to change the information in the IC card after issuance of the card, the card-holder is required to ask the IC card issuing agency or organization to make the change. The card-holder must also complete, sign and seal a document (e.g., a change request form) provided by the issuing organization, and send the document together with the IC card to the issuing organization.
Because of such inconvenient changing procedures, card-holders tend not to change such security-critical information as the password as regularly as should be done. Thus, protection against unauthorized use of the IC card is compromised.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a method and system for changing IC card information wherein the above problems are eliminated. In accordance with the invention, a method and system is provided wherein IC card information can be changed in either of two ways: (1) the information stored in IC card is changed independently of the information that the center facility maintains, and then the corresponding IC card information maintained by the center facility is updated to reflect the changes made in the IC card, and (2) the IC card information maintained in the center apparatus is changed, and then the corresponding information in the IC card is updated to reflect the changes made in the center apparatus.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an IC card system includes a center apparatus and an IC card having IC card-holder""s information stored therein. The IC card includes a receiver configured to receive change requests for changing the card-holder""s information. The IC card further includes a storage area configured to store change-allowance-information, wherein the change request is rejected if said change-allowance-information indicates xe2x80x9cchange in progressxe2x80x9d but is processed if said change-allowance-information indicates xe2x80x9cno change in progressxe2x80x9d.
Upon receipt of a change request, if the change-allowance-information indicates xe2x80x9cno change in progressxe2x80x9d, the change-allowance-information is changed to indicate xe2x80x9cchange in progressxe2x80x9d. In that case, new content for one or more information items in the card-holder""s information is received and stored in the IC card.
In one embodiment, the xe2x80x9cchange in progressxe2x80x9d corresponds to a condition wherein a previous change request is in the course of being processed by the IC card system, and the xe2x80x9cno change in progressxe2x80x9d corresponds to a condition wherein either the processing of a previous change request has been completed by the IC card system or no previous change request has been made.
In another embodiment, the new content stored in the IC card is transmitted from the IC card to the center apparatus. The center apparatus stores the new content and resets the change-allowance-information in the IC card to xe2x80x9cno change in progressxe2x80x9d.
In another embodiment, the card-holder""s information stored in the IC card includes one or more changeable information items and one or more un-changeable information items.
In another embodiment, before storing the new content for the card-holder""s information items, identification information is required from the change requester to determine if the change request is made by an authorized party. The received identification information is compared with a corresponding predesignated identification information stored in the IC card as one of the un-changeable information items, and if no match is found, the change request is rejected, but if a match is found, the new content for the card-holder""s information items is allowed to be stored in the IC card.
The information maintained by the center apparatus may be updated with the changed information stored in the IC card at the time of first on-line transaction after the change is stored in the IC card. In addition, the IC card can add a change-enabling identifier to those items of card-holder""s information which can be changed, and store them as changeable information, and add a change-disabling identifier to those items of card-holder""s information which can not be changed, and store them as un-changeable information or in a form incapable of being accessed.
The above object can also be achieved by use of a program capable of executing the above functions or a recording medium in which such program is stored.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent form the following detailed description of the invention, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings.